with either being a positive brand ambassador or causing damage to the business). Always know the social media status of the business and staff.
We are all aware of social media, some of us
may even have an account or two on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or even
Instagram (possibly more as there are 200+ social networks at the moment), and
our companies have jumped on the social media bandwagon by creating company
accounts as a means of connecting and communicating with the public.
A large majority of businesses and
organisations have tasked the marketing department with the responsibility of
being the custodians of social media in organisations, and rightfully so from
this regard, after all, social media allows businesses to directly connect with
and engage with audiences. What though has been forgotten, and dare I say
completely neglected, is that social media is also a function of HR. Now before
those in HR ask, but why? Don’t we have enough to do? Let me explain.
Social media has two elements to it, firstly
what we are exposed to constantly is that of a lead generation and marketing
aspect. To create awareness, communicate with markets and target audiences
while creating brand equity and strengthen brand image. The second element is
one of RISK! This is the risk associated with social media which businesses and
organisations ignore until it has caused a problem. When it comes to the
attention of senior management/ director level that an employee has had a
serious blunder of social media, then HR is brought in to fix the problem. The
biggest challenge here, lies in the fact that a large majority of businesses
and organisations have not invested in the correct structures, processes and
practices to adequately deal with, navigate and resolve these instances.
Right now, I know a few people reading this
are thinking “it’s not that big of a deal” or “it won’t happen in our company”.
I have news for you! It is a big deal, and it is not a matter of if it will
happen, but when it will happen and how much traction the case in question will
receive from social media and the media in general.
Case in point, research conducted by FAROSIAN
has shown that since January 2016 – December 2017, social media blunders by
individuals have had an financial impact to employers of R750,000,000 at a
minimum! I think we can all see, that it is a big deal. Will it happen to your
organisation, the simple answer is yes, at some point it will (it may have
already and the business is completely unaware, and the instance/s has not
gained sufficient traction), it all comes down to this……. How will it be dealt
with, are there processes and protocols in place?
Social media should be a function of HR, with 3 main elements being
focused on:
1. A comprehensive and detailed social media
policy (always consult with a social media risk expert in designing this). Most
businesses make use of a social media policy which is a subsection of the IT or
marketing policy. This is not adequate!
2. Social media training must be implemented
and provided to all staff, as well as being part of the induction process
3. Social media screening should be conducted (this function must always be outsourced to avoid legal complications). This screening should take place for the recruitment process, as well as screening of existing staff (your junior employee that no one pays attention to could have 2,000,000 followers of twitter, with either being a positive brand ambassador or causing damage to the business). Always know the social media status of the business and staff.
